Houston Moth StorySLAM

In 1997, George Dawes Green started a project he called The Moth. Meant to help people explore the art of storytelling, he patterned the project after sessions he spent on his front porch as a young man in Georgia, during which Green and his friends would reminisce about their real-life experiences. Since then, the project has played to standing-room-only audiences in New York City and become an award-winning radio program. A traveling road show has taken the project to cities all over the country. Today's Houston Moth StorySLAM, sponsored by Houston Public Radio, is one in a series of local storytelling sessions. The theme this month is firsts, first loves, first losses, first times, whatever experiences marked an inarguable beginning. It's a simple set-up. Interested storytellers, amateur and professional alike, simply show up, drop their name in the hat, and get five minutes to tell the truth about themselves. Many of the people who found their voice with The Moth, such as Katherine Russell Rich and Mike Birbiglia, have gone on to write books and perform one-person shows based on successful shares.